The Science of Communicating Science: The Ultimate Guide

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements Introduction THE GROUND RULES 1 – What makes good science communication? (in fewer than 280 characters) 2 – Why we need to communicate science better 3 – Burying the deficit model 4 – Objective! Your honour! 5 – What do the public really think about science? 6 – There is no one public: Making sense of segmentation COMMUNICATION TOOLS 7 – Messages and metaphors 8 – Once upon a time: Storytelling 9 – Trust me, I’m a scientist 10 – Media matters 11 – Being a social media superstar 12 – I’ve been framed! The art of framing 13 – Who’s afraid of public speaking? 14 – Getting engaged 15 – P-values: Policy and politics 16 – Evaluation: Metrics, damn metrics and statistics WHEN THINGS GET HARD 17 – I’m a believer! Understanding different beliefs 18 – The risky business of communicating risk 19 – Valuing values 20 – Can you really change behaviours? 21 – Communicating controversies: The good, the bad and the ugly 22 – Debunking bunkum SCIENCE COMMUNICATION ISSUES 23 – Fantastic ethics and where to find them 24 – Why we don’t actually know what we think we know 25 – Last words: Sermon on the Endnote About the author Endnotes Index

About the Author :
Craig Cormick is one of Australia’s leading science communicators, with over 30 years’ experience. He is the former President of the Australian Science Communicators, an award-winning author of more than 25 books, and is widely published in research journals, including those of Nature and Cell. He specialises in communicating complex science issues and has taught writing and public relations at universities in Australia and conducted communication workshops worldwide.

Review :
"In his guide to communicating science, Craig Cormick practices what he preaches: data instead of intuition, humour as a tool, stories as the medium. He illustrates how to communicate science in a way that generates lasting interest, rather than hype that inevitably disappoints or pomposity that keeps curiosity at bay." "Craig Cormick’s book, The Science of Communicating Science, is a wonderfully written and practical guide to the art of science communication. Cormick brings to the topic his many years of experience working in the communication of contentious areas of science and every chapter is underpinned by his understanding that science communication is a lot more than ‘exciting the masses with research’. The receiver is just as important as the purveyor of knowledge and Cormick shows a genuine interest in and respect for the enormously varied needs and beliefs of ‘the audience’. The idea that all we need to do is tell ‘the public’ about science and they’ll all be fans is well and truly put to bed. The book does an excellent job of taking us outside the science communication silo, forcing us to ask why are we communicating and what’s in it for our audience? I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to be an effective science communicator." "First impression. ‘Oh no, not another book on science communication’. Second impression on reading the book. ‘This is really good and useful. I like the style’. Third thought. ‘Perhaps there is room for just one more book. Every student of science and science communication should read this one.’"